Seeking out great places to photograph in Yorkshire

Brompton-by-Sawdon

The small village of Brompton-by-Sawdon lies about 8 miles west of Scarborough at the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park. The village has two claims to fame. The first, as is proudly displayed on the road signs as you approach, is the ‘birthplace of aviation’. Sir George Cayley, who invented the first successful glider to carry a person, lived here¹². The second is that the poet William Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson in the main church².

The village itself is very pretty and worth exploring. However I had made the trip here specifically to photograph the small chapel at the edge of the village, having seen some pictures online. A helpful description inside the chapel explained that the building was designed by the architect Temple Moore, who designed a number of buildings around the UK. His style was to make buildings look older than they are – this particular chapel dates from 1889, although has a medieval feel to it.

The setting for the chapel is very photogenic, with the trees creating a leading line up to the door. A large tree by the gate also frames the shot beautifully. I prefer the portrait version of the main photo at the top of this post:

I walked around the chapel to try a few different angles as well.

Inside the chapel isn’t so photogenic unfortunately, as the fixtures have all been removed. A local resident who popped in whilst I was visiting explained that they hope to be able to restore it one day.

This interesting little chapel is a good photography location on a sunny day. Here are a few more photos of my visit to Brompton-by-Sawdon: